Dhalia Novice needs some advice.

I grew my first Dahlia's from tubers this year. I started them in pots and put them into position in the garden in June (i think). They are now growing fantastically and they all have many flowers. They seem to me to be in their prime!

However, I understand that they now (or soon will need to be) either cut back and covered in mulch or removed from the garden cleaned and placed in saw dust or similar to protect from frost.

My question is do I cut them back now even though they are in full bloom or shall I leave them for a while longer? Secondly, if I heavily mulch the area where the tubers are planted would they have a chance of surviving the winter (I have no green house only a shed)? I live in Surrey where the weather is not too extreme! I was hoping to be able to mulch rather than dig up and store the Dahlia's.

You can cut them back after they have been hit by the first frost, in a sheltered garden you could have another months worth of flowers.

Several of the tubers that I left in the ground survived last years winter but they did not survive the harsher winter we had the year before that. Mine did not survive in the shed either as that was not frost free. I bring mine into a frost free garage.

You will have to decide if the money you spent is worth the effort of storing them. The advantage of storing them is that you can get an earlier start but it is a faff.

I agree with the answer above. I grew "Bishop's Children" from seed and most of them came up the next year. They came up again this year too, but I'd lost about 4. They are in a well drained bed which had been well manured. I don't cut them down until blackened by frost. If you cut them down too early the stems are like open tubes and water gets in and rots the tuber.

I've found Arabian Nights and Park Princess are hardy and come up whatever the winter is like, but they were planted tubers.

Im thinking of growing Dahlias next year I live in the northeast can anyone recommend a good and sound web site which I can buy/or get free tubber to start me off I would like the s/m/l variation I have a green house but this is my first year I'm trying to grow Dahlias any help will be appreciated.

Im thinking of growing Dahlias next year I live in the northeast can anyone recommend a good and sound web site which I can buy/or get free tubber to start me off I would like the s/m/l variation I have a green house but this is my first year I'm trying to grow Dahlias any help will be appreciated.

thanks Mr conley

Tubers are available in the new year-unless you are looking to show and want a specific variety any good garden centre is the place to go where you can inspect them- sometimes you do come across a rotten one.

Dahlias can also be grown from seed sown in the spring. I've grown them more successfully from seed rather than planting tubers. The tubers I stored last winter, for some reason only two or three actually grew this year. They were stored in the house though, not sure if that made a difference, the room was unheated.

I have an Arabian Night Dahlia in my collection which is my favourate so pleased to hear it may be relatively hardy. I am going to enjoy them for now and when the time is right cut them back and give them a good mulch!

In response to KEVC, this is the first year I have grown Dahlia's, they are beautiful and a new favourate! I will definately be planting more for next year and I would definately recommend them for your garden!